PPP, PML-N had offered me to join them: Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan Tuesday said he challenged Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari due to their corruption and formed a party to fight against it.

Addressing the launch of defence analyst Ikram Sehgal’s book ‘A Personal Chronicle of Pakistan’, he said that Nawaz Sharif was fond of cricket and by chance he became the prime minister. The prime minister said Pakistan needs a real struggle for ‘justice’, which is the biggest jihad and said they were creating awareness among the masses against corruption, which is ‘the biggest cancer’. He said in developed countries, society fought the evils on its own and the corrupt elements were ostracized. Imran Khan said he came to politics to fight and wage struggle against social evils.

Referring to his cricket experience, he said there were two types of players in the game, the one who played for himself and the other who thought of the whole team. The former always earned esteem and respect. Similarly, those leaders, who thought of individual gains and personal interests, were never respected by nations, while those working for the country always respected, he said, adding that the Quaid-e-Azam always worked and thought for the nation.

Imran said a society rises when it is governed by equal sets of law for the privileged and the poor classes. “Human society is shaped by the rule of law,” he said. Contrary to it, the past ruling elite in Pakistan had plundered the country, he added. The prime minister recalled that when he entered politics, he did not now anything about Pakistan’s politics, while both the PPP and PMLN offered him to join them. Imran Khan said that neither he had any knowledge of Pakistan’s politics, nor his family was in politics. The prime minister said he had studied politics in university and therefore understood international politics, but every country has its own culture of politics, and “I had no knowledge of Pakistani politics and that is how I began my career in politics .” “I was friends with both Benazir and Nawaz Sharif. Sharif was more interested in cricket and by chance he became the prime minister. I knew them personally and they both offered me party tickets again and again, but I was opposed to their corruption and challenged them,” he said. He said the two corrupt families did grave injustice with the country as they made corruption acceptable to the society. He regretted that the past leadership never thought of Pakistan as they spent their vacations abroad, established businesses and preferred to shop outside the country. They had Swiss accounts and Mayfair flats like properties, the prime minister said in a veiled reference to the convicted PPP and PML-N leadership. Imran Khan said millions of people go to pay homage to the great spiritual personalities of Data Sahib, Baba Bulleh Shah and Baba Farid because they selflessly served humanity, and devoted their whole life to it. Same is the reason why Quaid-e-Azam is revered as the great statesmen, he said.

The prime minister said Pakistan was blessed with huge potential and natural resources, along with 12 different climatic zones and untapped tourism prospects. He said Switzerland, a country half of the size of the Northern Areas of Pakistan, was earning $80 billion annually from mountain tourism.